A FEAR of injury combined with bosses who don't listen or cannot be trusted is crippling the country's police officers and pushing stress levels through the roof, according to a new report.

A study from the Workplace Research Centre at Sydney University has called for a national review of police safety after it was discovered less than half of surveyed police officers trust their bosses and more than a third are burned out.

The five year investigation of 693 sworn officers from NSW, Victoria, the Northern Territory and the Australian Federal Police found police around the country have one of the highest levels of perceived threat to health and safety at work of any industry.

The amount of pressure on all officers, and especially senior police, to work harder and longer also increased between 2007 and 2011.

A former policeman has also opened up about colleagues injured in the line of duty being pushed to suicide because of the lack of support from police management.

"The incident highlights the dangers of policing. You put on the uniform every morning and kiss your loved ones goodbye and you may not come home,'' he said.

"Policing is so dangerous and unpredictable. The biggest issue is that trust (between officers and their managers) needs to be built up through rapport and consultation."

About 6400 of NSW's 15,956 sworn officers are burned out, the report said, making the 40 per cent burnout rate the highest rate in the study.

Burn out rates for Victorian police are at 27 per cent while the national police average is 33 per cent.

The report has called for a national review of police safety and "points to serious gaps in the identification, minimisation, and control of hazards and risks associated with the work of the police organisation.''

A NSW Police spokesman hit back, saying the past year the force has initiated numerous strategies to reduce number of physical and psychological injuries suffered by our staff.

"The NSW Police Force has employed seven additional injury management advisors, and the creation of a human resource support team to improve resilience, injury management strategies and early identification of psychological issues as well as help injured officers return to work,'' he said.

"The attrition rate from the NSWPF has reduced significantly and, as a result, the force has had to put on hold accepting any new applications for the Constable Education Program.

"It is a priority for the NSWPF to ensure that workplace injury is minimised. Significant resources are invested in officer training, injury prevention as well as officer welfare and support.

"Policing is inherently dangerous and the safety and welfare of our officers is paramount.

"In addition, the number of stress claims has been steadily falling since the beginning of 2011.''

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POLICE AT WORK - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY

`I am happy with the number of hours I work':

Constables 80%

Sergeants 76%

Senior officers 52%

`More and more is expected of me for the same pay':

Police 87%

Nurses 75%

All industries 56%

`I'm confident I'm not going to get injured or sick from work': disagree:

Police 44%

All workers 18%

I trust management:

Police 49%

Nurses 58%

Teachers 73%

`I feel burned out by my work'

NSW 40%

Northern Territory 33%

Victoria 27%

Australian Federal Police 27%

`I feel I make an effective contribution to my organisation'

NSW 87%

Vic 84%

AFP 84%

NT 90%

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Former Leading Senior Constable John Williams was medically discharged from the NSW Police Force earlier this year after requiring two rounds of spinal surgery from injuries sustained in two separate vehicle accidents and a fall at work.

He said he was left out in the cold by police management after he made a WorkCover claim.

"I've put on weight, been diagnosed with sleep apnoea and had two heart attacks since my operation. The cardiologist has directly related it to accumulated stress through dealing with the insurance company and police management,'' he said.

"Their whole support mechanisms were not here. I was left recovering from this injury with no contact from anyone at work.

"Police management serious look at how they look after their injured officers. They should bring back the police welfare branch and the association to keep fighting for guys like myself. Lesser guys have committed suicide in my predicament. You feel helpless, you suffer, your family suffers, and once they've used you as a number, there's the door.

"These bosses are under pressure from higher commanders to get their hurt on duty numbers down and for some unknown reason it reflect badly on them and badly on the management. Their insurance costs are going through the roof. Policing is a dangerous job and we are dealing with dangerous, desperate people. Criminals injuring a cop: they don't care."

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